The inner machinery of professional football has never exactly been an area of expertise at Queerty HQ, but we feel even more baffled by the sport after hearing how one prospective player was grilled on whether he likes men by team officials.

Former LSU running back Derrius Guice reports that while he was interviewing at the NFL Combine, an annual event where prospective players try out for the pro league, he was asked some bizarre questions, including whether he “likes men.”

‘’It was pretty crazy,” Guice said on the SiriusXM NFL show Late Hits. “Some people are really trying to get in your head and test your reaction. … I go in one room, and a team will ask me do I like men, just to see my reaction. I go in another room, they’ll try to bring up one of my family members or something and tell me, ‘Hey, I heard your mom sells herself. How do you feel about that?’”

But while these lines of questioning sound surprising to the uninitiated, this is apparently business as usual for the NFL.

“It went exactly how everyone told me it would be,” Guice said. “It’s exhausting. … It was a great experience. You’re being watched and tested the whole time.”

The NFL is looking into the claim, though a similar incident two years ago was never properly addressed.

The last time an NFL coach asked a potential draftee if he “liked men,” the league did nothing. Encouraged by advisors to focus on “education,” the league took no action against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons, in turn, did not suspend the coach who asked the offensive and illegal questions, Marquand Manuel. Heck, they even promoted him to defensive coordinator a year later.

At the time, the head coach of the Falcons, Dan Quinn, released this statement:

“I am really disappointed in the question that was asked by one of our coaches. I have spoken to the coach that interviewed Eli Apple and explained to him how inappropriate and unprofessional this was. I have reiterated this to the entire coaching staff and I want to apologize to Eli for this even coming up. This is not what the Atlanta Falcons are about and it is not how we are going to conduct ourselves.

The HRC responded to Guice’s story:

“The fact that Derrius Guice was asked by an NFL team — and a prospective employer — about his sexual orientation is absurd and inappropriate,” said HRC Director of Public Education and Research, Ashland Johnson. “With similar incidents already reported, it’s clear that the NFL did not do enough to prevent it from happening again. Guice’s experience illustrates the risks faced by millions of LGBTQ people today in employment, athletics, housing and other areas of their lives. It’s why we need swift action to condemn these kinds of practices and to fight for passage of the Equality Act to ensure comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. The NFL should take serious actions that address these unacceptable incidents and the perpetuation of an unwelcoming anti-LGBTQ environment, including publicly supporting the Equality Act.”

Notright

ChrisK

It’s ok to be a religious nut. However, the NFL and sexual orientation go together like oil and water despite the public face.

March 8, 2018 at 3:03pm

tham

@Notright,

It’s so wonderful that you are learning more coming to this blog than we are learning from you coming to this blog.

Btw, we need more articles about Hockey players…they’re as hot as soccer players, but all tough and rednecky.

And when they get old…who doesn’t like a guy missing all of his front teeth :p

March 8, 2018 at 5:03pm

o.codone

@Notright. I love ur posts and your opinions, but I live and breathe the NFL, so fu*ck yeah, sports, right here, right now.

March 8, 2018 at 9:03pm

My2Cents

I thought this was ridiculous too until the mother comment. I now assume they are just asking these questions to gauge the anger level of the player. A lot of football players have anger issues and you can weed them out by just asking if they are gay or insulting their mother. I get it now.

JaredMacBride

Kangol

Intrusive, creepy questions, with an edge of homophobia (and maybe Manuel wanted the information for himself) and offensiveness about the player’s mother, but Guice kept his cool.

As for Michael Sam’s flop, the league now has experience in how to deal with an out player so they should act like adults and prepare in case some new brave player comes out. Sam still gets props in my book, and always will.

tham

I wonder if they were testing them for a temper and/or extreme behavior problems.

For example, if you ask certain people about their sexual orientation, they explode in a giant FREAK OUT.

The same could go with anything that might be seen as disrespect. 1 out of 9 people have anger management issues (just read the comments on this blog), this would be a way to test that in a short time environment.

March 8, 2018 at 5:03pm

Bob LaBlah

Its boils down to the obvious being just that, obvious. However, in my book its all in how you list the obvious. The guy is obviously good looking, nice strong body, very capable on the football field and gay. Sadly the only thing this useless recruiter saw was the obvious part about him being gay. Were a survey taken amongst his perspective teammates I bet they all would have rolled their eyes at the ceiling in a “so damn what” “what else is new” manner. I close with this: its really sad that in Queerty’s haste (or to be fair a few of its readers and commenters) to post an article/comment they didnt take the two minutes (at best) to look for a video to add important detail to their article/comment on him. Sad indeed but not surprising. Its just a shame how lack of detail can really marginalize an accusation such as this. I mean really, does what Shangela thinks and says take priority over…………….you know, on second thought never mind.

chris33133

gmale

It is called “being bitchy”. Gays do it all the time in a gay bar or in regular life. Say nasty things about others.
I guess it’s slightly different in the straight world I n terms of what is being said but it’s the same dynamics.

JerseyMike

I’m sure there is homophobia in football, just like all areas if society. I think this was testing their reaction. Yes, the line of questions were fcuked up. What I find fcuked is someone thinking the question “are you gay?” as derogatory …